nemo ⁂ marina

Tl;Dr: Clark is what happens when you COULD have an ambitious idea of writing a nuanced, interesting Black character in a horror/violent themed story... And you just didn't quite manage to deliver on it. Or maybe didn't even consider it at all.

Keep in mind that I was just taking notes as I was watching!

Clark walking in, finding out he could leave, and then WALKING BACK IN is crazy work. No amount of my life sucking ass would be worth checking any of this shit out lmao. I know we're trying to get past the idea that Black people don't do this shit in horror movies, but um. We just gone say he's down fucking abysmal. Mr. CBC said he checked out character wise at this moment.

I'm not sure if this is a con or maybe it's going to be explained later, but like... I don't appreciate that Mary KNEW what the backrooms were and didn't warn him off or NOTHING. He brought you a whole map, there's no question that you knew what he knew. (Note: okay so... She didn't? Know? I guess?)

We were about an hour and some change into this hour and forty minute movie and I began to worry that it seems like this movie is trying to make me care more about the therapist's story, but tbh I am still worried about Clark 😅 like I know I'm supposed to be attached to her too but.... I cannot say I care the way I'm supposed to.

So I think... I think my issue here with the way Clark is being treated is that... We're supposed to be assuming from Jump that "it's like this because he sucks". She said it's his whining that nothing is ever his fault, that he just blames the world. And I don't even wanna say that there aren't men like that, God knows that's a thing!

But- and I don't know if this is a narrative choice or not, and my lack of ability to gauge any intent with this film bothers me- we've never gotten any context as to what actually led Clark's life to this point. We only know from his bad therapist Mary that we're seeing him at his absolute lowest. If I think of Obsession, with Bear, we can gather from the story that his interactions with Nikki have been weird, for a WHILE, and we see just how bad he is and how he is directly at fault for the ongoing situation.

But with Clark, especially with having this woman basically call him a loser (which, to an extent, fair!)... We don't know any of that. We know he's a shit husband, for sure! Outside of that, we're just taking Mary's word for it that absolutely no outside factors have led to his situation. And idk about you, but I can absolutely blame capitalism for a good amount of my current problems lmao. He's a Black man in the 90s, there are some things that could be relevant if we wanted to go there.

And I'm not saying that, again, he's not wrong for this shit he's pulling or the things he's done! But I do find it a bit weird to take a Black man at his lowest fail, and make that, I guess, another notch in this white lady's story. The juxtaposition of these two characters is so weird to me. It's like we meet Clark, see him struggle, see him die, all so that we can watch it become another problem in Mary's own narrative and... I don't even care about her 😅 Like was that really all he was for?? You brought me here for this??

I think if the movie had been about Clark losing his marbles and it leading him to being a killer on his own in there, I'd be less bothered. We'd get to see him spiral, to take on this new environment and this false empowerment with relish. Instead, we see him also be victimized by the Backrooms, finally accept that yeah he might just... suck where he is in life right now. Hell, he even was willing to let her go. And then 🤷🏾‍♀️ like, he had no autonomy when it came to being stuck there (because it's not like he knew the way out) and not even any sort of role in the conclusion of things. He couldn't even be his own monster 😭

I don't think the Monster Captain Clark chasing her looked like a caricature, no. I think the mere existence of it is what's the issue. Because it was a mysterious terrifying dark beast for everyone else, supposedly. But suddenly, it's... Fake Clark? Why? What was the goal? Why is he supposed to be what's scary? Does it mean that the monsters look like the memories of whoever created them? Is that a lore thing? Or, if we're supposed to see what's familiar to us... Why didn't she see her mother?

It just... It was weird. It wasn't even as scary, just weird. I didn't appreciate that.

So- and again, this may be my bias, because I've said before that I am personally tired of watching movies with white women as the underdog characters, especially when their antagonists are of color- but I think this movie tried to pull a bit of a Psycho, where it shifts main characters (or at least the weight of the narrative) as you follow along.

But I just... I don't feel like it did it very well 😅 Even with all this time, where I guess I was supposed to be, I wasn't too invested in this lady and I'm a little salty for Clark's character potential, as ain't shit as he was 😅 I was trying to see some more into his broken psyche before he just... got murked. Oh well, I guess. That was so disappointing to me.

I just feel like it could have done more with Clark as a character. Or, if we were really supposed to care this much about Mary, then develop HER as a character some more, outside of these abstract shots, so that when we deal with the conflict between her and Clark, it would have more weight. But because I feel I was led to follow him, to be in his mindset, I feel like I didn't get enough of him before being pushed into Mary. We watch him suffer, we watch him make horrible decisions, we're finally seeing just what type of guy he is... and then boom. He gets his final revelation, then he gets ragdolled.

And doing that with a Black man as the MC is where it gets funky because... All this and in the end, I'm still a white woman's plot device and spooky scary monster?? Dassit?? 😅 all right then. I genuinely found this movie rewatchable up until That moment. After that, it was like. So I feel no need to watch this shit again. Undelivered orgasm.

Meanwhile, on a more positive note, Mr Ejiofor absolutely nailed Clarck's character, to the point I cannot imagine Clarck being played by anyone else. The way he potrayed his mental and emotional decline as the movie advanced cannot be replicated.

Here is the link to the article. I put her family's GoFundMe below, they have almost reached their goal.

I don't have much to say here that hasn't been said better before, because this keeps happening.

Donate here - Vetted#642

My grandmother needs €60 every day (€420 per week) because the medicine warehouses were bombed. The medicines are extremely expensive because they are in very limited supply.

My grandmother suffers from kidney problems. If she does not take her medication regularly, it could lead to kidney failure and she could lose her life.💔😭

Please, I don't want to lose her… She has raised me since I was little.

Donation link

🟢 Multiple vetted

✅ @/gazavetter – List Number #14

✅ @/90-ghost

✅ @/gaza-evacuation-funds – List Number #451

My wife is in danger; she could die at any moment. We have no more medication to help her.

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My little sister is still in the ICU, and her condition is getting worse. Doctors told us she urgently needs surgery and that it cannot be delayed.

We need just $500.

$100 from 5 people could give little Lama the chance she desperately needs.

Please listen to your heart. Donate what you can or share this appeal. Be the reason Lama survives.

KRIS FROM DELTARUNE!!!!!!! ♥️🔪

In Gaza, everything is falling apart around us. Life here is becoming harder every single day, and even the simplest things feel impossible to find.

In the middle of all this, my father is getting worse. He is in the hospital, and every day we struggle to provide his treatment and medication.

It’s not just fear anymore, it’s the feeling that we are losing him while we stand helpless.

Please, if you can, help us. Donate or share, anything can make a difference.

Not donating could mean a father loses his life because he can’t get the treatment he needs.

My mother is in the ICU and her life is on the line. We need $503 TODAY not tomorrow, not later.

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My mother is still in the ICU and time is up. We just need $309 TODAY that's only 12 people giving $25.